Former No. 1 NFL draft choice Irving Fryar is a pastor in Mt. Holly, N.J., with a doctorate degree.

Photo Courtesy Omaha World Herald

Courtesy: NU Athletic Communications

08/31/2012

Randy
York's N-Sider

In this the seasonthat
celebrates 50 consecutive years of Nebraska football sellouts, Irving
Fryar will turn 50 on Sept. 28. One of Nebraska’s best football players ever, Fryar
already has celebrated his milestone because he promised himself he would
earn a doctorate degree before 50. Fortunately, he beat the clock with more than three
months to spare, and within two hours of receiving his diploma in
North Carolina, Dr. Irving Fryar called Dr. Tom Osborne to thank the driving
force behind the achievement.

Fryar
was an All-American at Nebraska. He was one of The Triplets with Turner
Gilland Mike
Rozier, who will be sitting next to him Saturday when Nebraska opens
the season against Southern Miss. Fryar was the first overall pick in the 1984
NFL Draft. From 1984-2000, he played with the Patriots, Dolphins, Eagles and
Redskins. He caught 851 NFL passes and made the Pro Bowl five times, but none
of that meant more to him than earning his Ph.D. in philosophy in theology
from North Carolina College of Theology in Wilmington, N.C.

Fryar will join Rozier and be introduced at the
first-quarter break Saturday, so the N-Sider asked Irving to go down-and-out for a
pre-game Q&A, and we invite Husker fans everywhere to join our
conversation:

Q: Rumor has it that we can’t call The
Triplets Earth, Wind and Fryar anymore. It would be more accurate to say Dr.
Fryar. True or false?

A:True. We all know what direction we’re supposed to go
in, but it doesn’t mean we’re not going to have to fight for it or work for it
or go through some struggles and strains to get to it. Getting that doctoral
degree was a hideous journey that ended with a great reward ... a Ph.D., and it
means as much to me as almost anything I’ve ever done.

Q: You’re the pastor at the New Jerusalem
House of God in your hometown of Mt. Holly, N.J. How does a doctorate help you
there?

A:Ithad an immediate impact. I’ve been commissioned to
open up a satellite school here in Mt. Holly, and we’re calling it the
Burlington County College of Theology. We’re a fully accredited college where
we service people with associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master's degrees
and doctoral degrees. The degrees will go through the same place I received my
degree. They only difference is they will be working through our satellite
school, which will be located in the church I pastor.

Q: How does a longtime NFL player celebrate
getting his doctorate?

A: Well, I received it on a Saturday in June and we had a
big shindig the next day to celebrate the ninth anniversary of our
church. It was the perfect opportunity for me to announce that we were
opening a satellite school. My degree was not just for me. It was for my
congregation, the community and anybody else that I can help. We want to better
our lives, and we know that the market pays based on value for a degree in
education. I want to help people learn, be more knowledgeable and get better
jobs. Maybe 3, 4 or 5 years from now, I’ll have 6, 7 or 8 congregants with full
degrees, which will help them get better jobs. It’s already helped me. When I
got my doctoral degree, I got another job at Union County Community College in
Cranford, N.J., where I’m a professor of philosophy and sports management.

Q: Who would have thought you would do
something like that and what would be the odds?

A: On my way back home after graduation, Dr. Tom Osborne
was the first person I called because I wanted to let him know that the seeds
he planted in me had taken root and grown. I wanted to let him know that
he had a lot to do with the person I am right now. I also wanted him to know
that I still set high goals and will work as hard as I can to reach them, just
like he taught me to do. The next person I called was (position coach) Gene
Huey, who also had a lot to do with my development. He just retired from
coaching the Indianapolis Colts, and he’s really enjoying life.

Q: What does it mean to your coaches when a
productive professional athlete has it in his heart to excel academically while
he’s still in his 40s?

A: I think it was pleasant for both coaches to talk to me
because they know I’ve had to come a long way after some big bumps in the road.
If anybody had told them when they were hands-on with me that I would end up as
the pastor of a church, have a doctoral degree, be the president of a
satellite college, plus a full-time professor at a university, I think they
would have said the odds for any one of those things would have been highly
unlikely.

Q: Highly unlikely? You can be more precise
than that, can't you?

A:I’m not an odds maker, but I think it would be
2,000 to 1 or 5,000 to 1.

Q: Given everything you’ve been through,
don’t you think the odds of earning a doctorate would be higher than that?

A: Actually, when I think about it, it may be closer to
100,000 to 1.

Q: That has to be closer. When you left here
as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, you left without a diploma. Take me through
the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

A:When I was playing for the Miami Dolphins, I went back
to school and obtained my bachelor’s degree from South Florida Bible College
and Theological Seminary in Deerfield Beach, Fla. It took me two years to get
my master’s degree at the same school in Wilmington that I received my
doctorate. It took me four years to get my doctorate. When I promised myself
that I would have the doctoral degree before I was 50, I had to push hard. I
didn’t want to let myself down because scripture tells us it’s better to finish
than it is to start.

Q: I bet your wife and kids were proud. Did
they make the long drive from New Jersey to North Carolina to see their husband
and dad wearing a cap and gown?

A:We have four children, ages 26, 24, 22 and 19. They
were all at the graduation ceremony except for my 24-year-old because he had to
work. I tried to talk the kids out of going because they had 8½ hours of
driving and then had to come right back the next day to our church celebration.
They came anyway, and they were very proud. Twelve of my congregants, including
some elders and deacons, also made the trip. They insisted on being there, so
they rented two vans and we all drove down together and came back together.
None of us can ever take credit for what we’ve done, achieved or obtained
without looking behind us and telling somebody thank you. And I can’t thank my
wife (Jacqueline) enough. She’s definitely been supportive through everything.
There have been lots of long nights and early mornings and study and writing
time in between. My dissertation was 257 pages. I put a lot of effort into
doing it – typing two fingers at a time. It was entitled “God Has a Church for You” and it
was about denominations. Most of us have a negative perspective of
denominations. Those of us who are Christians understand that denominations can
bring division to the body of Christ, and that’s just not the way it should be.

Q: Did you know that Jamie
Williams is
working for Coach Osborne now and what do you remember about him?

A: I don’t know Jamie real well, but I did play with him
a couple years and know he’s had his doctorate degree for a long time now. He
went after his pretty quickly. It didn’t surprise me at all because Jamie is a
very articulate and a very intelligent man. I believe Coach Osborne was the
inspiration for Jamie getting his doctorate, just like he was the inspiration
for me getting mine. Here’s the thing. Getting a doctorate is one thing. The other
thing is, once you get it, you understand that the work is really just
beginning. You have to apply what you’ve learned. There is a purpose for
getting the degree. Once you accomplish it, you need to use it.

Q: I know you’re teaching and in the ministry
and helping others. I’m guessing you won’t miss the daily grind of being a
student at age 50. Would I be right about that?

A: That’s ironic you even mention that because in
addition to everything else I’m doing, I’m also pursuing another doctorate in
ministry at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. I’ll be doing a lot of my work
in New Jersey and really only have to be in Lynchburg three or four times a
year. My first semester there starts later this month, so I’m excited about that, too.

Q: You’re going to be sitting with fellow New
Jersey native, college teammate and still close friend – Heisman winner Mike
Rozier -- at the season opener tomorrow. That’s two-thirds of the Triplets in
the same section. When are you going to look up the third triplet in Lynchburg?

A:My doctoral program there will take two years. I’ve
already talked to Turner (Gill) and made some plans. I’ll be at Liberty Nov. 10
when they have their last home game of the season. He knows Liberty
has asked me to speak to the student body while I’m there. I’m
looking forward to that and will be keeping close tabs on Turner all the time
he’s there.

Q: I love your passion, but isn’t one
doctorate enough?

A:Actually, the second one plays into my role at Union
County Community College. The graduation rate there is not where they want it
to be, so my goal is to help get that rate up and to become a part of their
chain of command. I’ve set both of those goals for myself. Coach Osborne taught
me how important having goals are.

Q: You’re so busy with everything you’re
doing, you probably don’t have much time to follow college football, do you?

A: You’re right. I’m so consumed with teaching and
counseling and spreading the gospel and going to church and pursuing another
doctorate, it doesn’t leave much time for football. I don’t have a whole lot of
time for sports, actually. But I did find an outlet. I’ve caught the bug for
golf, and in one year I’ve brought my handicap down from a 21 to a 12. I’ve
taken lessons, changed my swing path and learned to understand the game. I’m a
long way from being where I could be if I had more time. But at least the
ball’s not flying all over the place anymore.

Q: You’re the pastor of the New Jerusalem House of God in your
hometown. How big is the church, how long are your sermons and give me some
idea of how they relate to your own life?

A: We have about 350 in attendance every Sunday. My
sermons are close to 40 minutes, and I had a six-week series this summer on the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. I try to help people
understand what God is all about so we can shape our theology, know who He is
and find better ways to respond to Him.

Q: What drives you and pushed you from
football into the ministry?

A: I’ve had my rough times – times that were real shaky,
so shaky that people who were close to me didn’t think I was going to make it.
But there’s a scripture in Romans that says nothing can separate us from the
love of God. When others gave up on me, He didn’t. God loved me through all of
my down times. That’s why I’m here today. I’m not the sharpest pencil in the
box. I didn’t do everything God asks us to do. I’m here because He loves me, He
never gave up on me and He never left me.

Q: Anything else you want to share that I
haven’t asked?

A: Another favorite scripture of mine says to whom much
has been given much is required. For no reason at all, except that God loved
me, I went from New Jersey to a football scholarship at the University of
Nebraska. That’s a major university and a place that loves
football. I came here and became the No. 1 draft pick in the NFL.
I worked hard and I had talent, but it was nothing that I deserved. For some
reason, God gave me a platform, and it just took me a lot longer than it takes
most people to figure that out so I wouldn’t squander the opportunity.

Q: For someone soon to be 50, what’s the most
exciting part about being in Nebraska for the season opener?

A:I’m excited because I get to hear (Anthony) Slick
Steels sing in Omaha and watch Nebraska kick off the season in Lincoln. I get
to see Mike, and I get to see Ricky (Simmons). Ricky has had his share of
struggles, too, but used his faith to get back on solid ground. We played for Coach
Osborne, and we love him because he never quit loving us even when we were
living in ways that did not honor him. Coach Osborne never called himself Dr.
Osborne, but I know he’s proud that he can call me Dr. Fryar.